This was my second experience with a David Ellis book, and if you are looking for a twisted tale with lots of awesome and unexpected reveals throughout, this one is for you!

You will have the best time following along with Leo Baniloff, attorney and diagnosed pathological liar, as he finds himself immersed in a tangled web of murder, lies, and a potentially corrupt law enforcement. Little bit of a love story as well, when Leo's ex-girlfriend comes back into the picture, putting herself in the middle of it all.

David does what he does best again in this one, which is to pull you in with short chapters; chapters that uniquely reveal bit by bit of an elaborate setup, only to reveal shocking moments throughout. As the story builds and you feel like you've put the pieces together, the author masterfully throws you in a slightly different direction. It is really hard not to enjoy the journey.

I am also fortunate to have met the author when he so generously gave his time in attending my Thrillers by the Book Club MKE meeting where we discussed the book and got to hear all the inside stories. Such a great writer and an overall awesome human being. Can't wait for his next book!

Thank you, NetGalley, and G.P. Putnam's Sons Publishing, for allowing me the opportunity to read this ARC. Timelines from the past and present are used to tell the story of The Best Lies. Detectives, attorneys, and criminals are all involved. You can try to pay attention, but there are twists and turns in this chaotic book. Timelines from the past and present are used to tell the story of The Best Lies. I had no trouble staying entertained during this fast-moving thriller from start to finish. Though it won't appeal to everyone, this is a great book if you're searching for a deep narrative that will keep you interested and make you doubt all you know! I give this book 4/5 stars.

I love how this book keeps you guessing and as soon as you think you know what’s going on, you learn new information that changes your perception. This was fast paced and entertaining.

A huge thank you to Netgalley, @kayepublicity, @putnambooks , and @david_ellis_author for sending me a finished copy of this fantastic read in exchange for an honest review. Look Closer is one of my favorite books of all time (every twist imaginable happened) so I was thrilled to get to read this one early! As always, Ellis tells a flawless story that will keep you guessing until the end. Ellis has this amazing way of constantly keeping you guessing and truly had me stumped until the end- he truly is (in my opinion) a master storyteller. This is a definite must read for all your thriller lovers and it is out now so be sure to grab your copy ASAP!!

4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Best Lies
Author: David Ellis
Thriller

Thank you so much Netgalley and Putnam for this ARC! It’s been a minute since I read a thriller and this did not disappoint. Leo is an attorney who is also a pathological liar. A drug dealer is found dead and Leo finds himself as the main suspect. Given the choice to work for the FBI or go to prison, I’m sure you can guess which side he chooses. A dangerous, twisty, fast paced read. It got a little confusing at some times but overall I enjoyed it. It starts getting hard to keep track of all of the lies but that’s the point. 😂. I have never read a book by this author before and I’m so grateful for the ARC!

*3.5, rounded down* If you love thrillers with short chapters, this book is for you!
Leo Balanoff, a pathological liar and determined attorney, is framed for the murder of a drug dealer. Given a choice between going undercover for the FBI or facing prison, he takes the risky deal, which pits him against a ruthless crime boss and his ex, Andi Piotrowski. With secrets and strategies up his sleeve, Leo’s battle is just beginning.
This book was entertaining & definitely fast paced. I thought the audio narration was fantastic - special kudos to whoever narrated Leo (I'm having trouble confirming which narrator actually played his part, but he really did an amazing job). There were a few twists and plot points I didn't see coming, others I did - once the story gets going, it takes off. At the beginning, I will say I was having trouble keeping some characters straight - mainly when the timeline changed. But I wonder if that was due to listening vs reading a physical/digital copy? Either way, it didn't take me that long to get back on track, and I'm happy it didn't take me out of the story.

This was a 4 star thriller, a little better than middle of the road but not quite creme de la creme of thrillers either. It was fast paced and compulsively readable which is all I want in a thriller, the writing was decent and the reveals were decent as well, which is major points as thriller authors often stick the landing.

David Ellis has been consistent in his books and I will continue to pick him up for plane/beach reads as they are the perfect things for that. They are solid mysteries that will keep you up at night turning the pages without giving way to crappy writing or unrealistic storylines. This was a strong 4 star read, no more no less.

I was really looking forward to this one, especially since I loved Look Closer. The Best Lies is full of twists and turns that keep you guessing the whole way through. The world-building and intricate plotting are intriguing, and I enjoyed getting used to the shifts between past and present chapters. It's not my absolute favorite by this author, but it’s definitely a great read!

Leo is an attorney who finds himself in a sticky situation. His fingerprints are found on the murder weapon of a drug dealer. the FBI wants him to go undercover to help them out… so does he accept? or go to prison for murder?

I really enjoyed this one. it definitely has some twists and turns in it but I found it hard to get into. I think when the twists first started, I was confused and having trouble keeping up because I wasn’t fully invested in the story yet. once I got into it, I was into it though. I never knew who or what to trust until the end. the second half was a 5 star for me but since it took me awhile to get into it, I knocked it down to 4. don’t let that dissuade you!

After loving <b>Look Closer</b>, I was eager to dive into this one. The synopsis described it as "fast-paced," but I didn't find that to be entirely accurate since the build-up was rather slow. Initially, it didn't hold my interest, and I never felt a strong urge to return to it. However, given how much I enjoyed his previous book, I decided to stick with it. The plot was intriguing, with many moving parts, and the characters were smart and well-written. There were a few twists and turns, but the time jumps were a challenge for me. They didn't flow smoothly and were not written in a way that made them easy to follow. I was curious to see how it would all come together, and fortunately, the pacing picked up, and the ending was satisfying. Overall 3.5 stars.

This author's last book, Look Closer was one of my favorite thrillers of all time. I thought this book was great, but did not top his last book.

I went into this book completely blind because I loved the author's last book so much, and I would truly recommend doing that. I went back and read the synopsis after, and although it was fine, I still think going in blind is best.

Although there were some plot twists, this book felt more straightforward and less nuanced than the author's other work.

This book was very crime focused and although I wouldn't necessarily call it a procedural, it had those vibes.

Overall, this is one I would recommend.

Look Closer was my top thriller of 2023 after reading it in JANUARY, so I knew that The Best Lies was going to be good. A thriller that followed law enforcement, the mafia, corporate espionage, national security - sounds right up my alley. Ellis did a wonderful job keeping myself as a reader on my toes, and a bit confused at time, which I think added to the addicting nature of the book. Overall, I think if you enjoy realistic crime thrillers, The Best Lies is definitely one to pick up.

I paired the ARC with an audiobook that had a full cast narration. It took me awhile to get the story down due to the novel having
a complicated timeline. I’m glad I had a print copy because the audio would have been hard for me to follow. Overall, I enjoyed this brilliantly written mystery that had themes of espionage, murder, and legal aspects!

I loved the alternating view points and the flashbacks. There were too many characters for me and I think this just wasn’t my type of story. I’m not super into gangster type stories so if you are you will probably like this. The plot was a bit too much for me overall. It’s not a bad book just not for me

ahhhhh this one sadly did not make the cut for me! I had hoped I would love it, but it just wasn't the one! This one sadly was really hard to keep all of the characters in line. This one had confusing time lines and it was hard to keep the characters in track with what was happening past and present. It is a crime thriller for sure but the time lines were sadly just too confusing and not enough action was happening to keep me engaged. Thank you for the E-ARC but I think other readers would love this one, this is just my own opinion!

David Ellis does it again! I loved Look Closer so I was so excited for this one and it did not disappoint. Short chapters and multiple POVs made this a page turner that I could not put down. Definitely pick this one up!

This one sadly was really hard to keep all of the characters in line. David Ellis made my top 10 authors last year so I was really looking forward to his latest release. This one had confusing time lines and it was hard to keep the characters in track with what was happening past and present. It is a crime thriller for sure but the time lines were sadly just too confusing and not enough action was happening to keep me engaged. I may purchase the audiobook in the future and see if I am more engaged listening to it.

4.5, this book… wow
It took a minute for me to get into it, but once I understood what was happening I did not want to stop reading. I know I want to read everything that David Ellis has and ever will write.

I was really excited to read The Best Lies and while Look Closer is still my favorite, I thoroughly enjoyed this one too. With David Ellis, you know you're in for a wild ride of twists and turns, and this book did not disappoint! I didn’t see the twists coming at all.

It did take some time to get fully into the story, and there were a lot of characters, especially on the law enforcement side, to keep track of. But overall, I really enjoyed reading The Best Lies and would highly recommend it.

I would like to thank PENGUIN GROUP Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

Solid 4 ⭐️. I enjoyed the premise of the book and the characters. I absolutely loved the audio version of this book. The writing was detailed and fluid. The chapters flowed well. The characters were unique and the book sets up well for a series.

That being said, I did find it a tad hard to follow. The multiple POV and varying timelines made it easy to get lost and I kept having to reread quite a bit of the book. Parts the story were slow and overly detailed- which I normally like. I also had to keep checking to see if this was book 3 or 4 in a series. The characters seemed to have known and deep history. As far as I can tell this is a standalone.

Overall I did enjoy this story and will read more from this author!